Sword of Legendia
by Xonel
Summary: "Chloe Valens.  You are charged with the crime of treason against the Holy Kingdom of Gadoria, and with the crime of attempted assassination of the king.  How do you plead?"                                                  "...Guilty."
1. Prologue

Xonel: Expect extremely long delays between updates with this one. The next chapter maybe be the only exception to that. I've been working on this for quite a while now, so feedback would be much appreciated. I hope you enjoy, and I do not own Tales of Legendia.**  
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**Prologue**

It was cold. It had been getting colder, and tonight it seemed like it could rain at any moment. The air was already heavy with moisture.

A chilling wind blew through the town, but the traveler didn't even seem to feel it as her tattered black cloak swirled about. All of her clothing was black. Over the cloak a heavy black pack was slung across her shoulders. Underneath the pack was a large object- vaguely resembling a sword though it looked much too heavy to actually wield- wrapped in worn strips of black cloth. Another, smaller, sword was belted to her waist. A mask covered her face.

The traveler knew her way around this town. She had been here many times. For a while she had actually lived here. But those days were long gone and could never come back.

The traveler stopped, having reached her first destination. Her eyes blankly gazed at the grave from behind the mask. Someone had left flowers recently.

"It would have been nice to get to know you. I'm afraid you wouldn't be too happy with me, though. Not now."

The traveler removed her mask, and the unnatural shadows which had shielded her face lifted. "I don't think you would have liked what I've become. You wouldn't like the Raven."

"Hello? Who's up here?"

The traveler turned, fingers closing around the hilt of her sword.

"Don't you know it's dangerous to be out this late? Werites Beacon is usually peaceful, but crimes do happen from time to-" The voice fell silent as its owner stopped at the top of the stairs leading up to the graveyard.

The traveler didn't remove her hand from their sword. "It's been a while, Raynard."

"Chloe? What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to visit Coolidge."

Will sighed. "Chloe, I'm a sheriff. I can't let you do that."

Chloe scowled. "So you've heard what happened. And you believe it, don't you? Of course you do."

Will frowned. "I'm not sure what to believe, Chloe. You didn't seem like the type to commit such a crime, but the evidence is stacked against you." He looked away. "I'm sorry, but I can't just let you go."

Her grip tightened around her sword. "Don't make me fight you, Raynard." Her other hand twitched, ready to place the mask back on her face.

"You've been wearing the Skull Mask? Don't you remember the way it affects you?"

"Of course I remember! I wouldn't wear it if I didn't have to! But I'm a wanted criminal and I have to keep myself hidden." She glanced at the mask, the strange, crystalline material shining slightly in the moonlight. "With this, not only can I fool people into thinking I'm someone else... but I can also much more easily obtain enough money to survive."

Will shifted his hammer. "So you _are_ the Raven. You realize then that-"

"Yes! I realize what its done to my reputation! Do you think I care?" She drew her sword. "No. Not any more."

"You're fighting with the Mini Gelares Sword, too? Chloe, we know nothing about that thing!"

She shrugged. "It was the only one left when I fled. They took all my other weapons. Except the Eternal Sword- it was too well hidden."

"Then why aren't you fighting with that instead?"

"I can't let anyone know I have it with me." Her sword drooped, her arm falling to her side. "Please, Raynard, just let me pass. Forget that you saw me."

"I can't do that. You know I can't. I'll talk to Her Excellency and see if she can grant you sanctuary, but I have to take you in."

Chloe shook her head. "That won't work. As long as I'm alive, I can't let anything happen to the Eternal Sword."

"And why is that?"

This time Chloe looked away. "I'm not sure."

"What? Chloe, what's really going on? It's not like you to be acting like this!"

Chloe slashed the air in front of her, scowl returning. "You don't know what's like me and what isn't. I'm not the same person I was four years ago. I've changed... and the only thing I care about now is keeping this sword safe."

"That's not true. Not if you were planning on visiting Senel."

Chloe shook her head and turned slightly away from him. "Y-You don't know what you're talking about." She wheeled back around, raising her sword and meeting his eyes. Her sword seemed to vibrate with the raging emotions that danced behind her eyes. "I'm not a knight. I haven't been for years and I'm not going to pretend that I am any more. I've given up those ideals. My mission is to keep this sword safe for as long as I'm alive, and that's what I'm going to do. Nomatter what. Forget that you saw me and let me pass, Raynard."

Will held out his hammer in front of him, face grim. "I told you, I can't do that. I'm sorry."

Chloe put the mask back on. "So be it."

Will braced himself, starting to chant an incantation, as Chloe rushed toward him. But before her blade could make contact, the cloth-wrapped sword on her back started to glow with power.

Chloe was only a couple of feet away from him, sword poised for attack, when the light from the Eternal Sword flared, forcing him to clench his eyes shut.

Her sword didn't meet its target.

When Will opened his eyes, he realized that she had vanished.


	2. Chapter One: A Light Fading

**Writer Formerly Known a****s**** Xonel:** Wow, it's been a very long time. My apologies to those who have been waiting for me to update this story. Let me just briefly say that my life has been a time of much personal growth since I last posted any fanfics.

On that note, this story has remained in the back of my mind for quite a while, and the general idea has been growing and taking shape over this whole time, especially as I've experienced certain things these past few years. That being said, I think the fact that the story has evolved in my mind a bit is actually a good thing- I have a decent size of personal experience to pull from as I write this story, now.

As for my name here on , I'll be changing it by the time I update next, and have only kept it this long so that all of you know that yes, I am the same person and not some imposter (though I don't know who would want to impersonate me, haha).

Thank you very much to those who have read my stories in my absence. I look forward to being an active member of this fandom again, and I hope all of you like this story of the Sword of Legendia as it continues to unfold.

Finally, Happy New Year!

**Chapter One: A Light Fading**

_It had started a week after I arrived in Gadoria for my annual trip to honor my parents. I was by far not the most skilled at playing politics, that was why our House had taken the fall that it did when my parents passed away. But even I could tell that it was no coincidence that Lord Byron decided to join me in the smaller, more "public", church to hear the service, rather than the large cathedral he usually went to. When we began to pray about halfway through the service, a brief but very intense flare of indignant anger welled up inside me, so that I had to reprimand myself in an effort to stay calm. Still, hot tears managed to leak out of the corners of my eyes. How could this pompous jerk have the nerve to come here to mock me with political schemes during the one day of the year which was the most agonizing to me? I tried to pray, to keep myself calm and let the service bring the peace my spirit needed, but I could not reign in my thoughts for some reason that day. I knew that Byron was playing at something underhanded- he would not be in such a "quaint" church of he was not.__  
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Chloe Valens closed her eyes tiredly, her slim shoulder colliding softly with the plaster of the back wall of the inn. She let out a shaky breath, rubbing her face with a sweaty hand. She looked up, for a split instant captivated by the beauty of the nearly full moon peeking through the night fog that was so ordinary to Werites Beacon, a city so close to the sea.

A cloud came over her, her head falling forward. The coldness she had felt toward Raynard... _My mission is to keep this sword safe for as long as I'm alive and that's what I'm going to do. Even if it means cutting you down._ She hadn't said the last part out loud. It didn't matter. She knew in her heart what she had meant, and in a moment that lasted eternity, she was terrified at the thought. Four years ago she had rushed at Senel the same way she had rushed at Raynard only a moment ago. Four years ago, she hadn't had a mystical sword to stop her, and she hadn't cared. She had thought she killed the man she loved and she hadn't cared. And again, tonight, she had almost killed someone- a friend- for the sake of some silly ideal that she wasn't even sure was true.

_No... I_ _**know **__it's true._

"Oh, God, what am I becoming?"

The cloud blew away. The moment of eternity passed- dust in the wind. She was doing her duty. A sacred duty. And nothing could be allowed to stop her.

Her hand fell from her face back down to her side, and she looked down to notice that in her other hand she gripped the Skull Mask, knuckles white. Deliberately, she relaxed her grip. A wry smile played on her lips. She wasn't "becoming" anything. She _was_ the Raven. How could she forget that? She placed the mask back on her face, familiar shadows returning. She took in a deep breath, let it out slowly. That was better.

She had to get to Senel. No doubt Raynard would be there soon to warn him- she had get there before he did.

_There was a scream. "What's happening?! It's Her Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Quickly! Scan the grounds! Don't let the traitor escape!"_

_He told the men in his unit to spread out among the trees- Stephen, a new recruit- thought he caught a glimpse of a figure disappearing in the trees down below. He himself stayed behind just long enough to hear from one of the castle guards that His Majesty had managed to injure the assassin, but was himself bleeding very heavily- it was unsure whether he would make it or not._

_"It was a turn of good fortune that you were here, Lord Barlowe. Your men will be indispensable in bringing in this murderer."_

_"It was providence. We'll sweep through Belleau Forest. Have your men sweep through the castle grounds and the city. Whoever did this will know what happens when the King of Gadoria is attacked in his own home."_

_He mounted his horse and took off in the same direction as his men, choosing his own route cutting straight through the forest southward, toward the province of Leronia. He intended to go straight through the forest, even if he himself did not find the man they were hunting. He had to let the Lady of Leronia know what had happened._

_Trees whipped past him so quickly that he almost missed it- the light of the full moon spilling through the trees to briefly illumine a shadowy figure hunched over next to a tree. He reigned in his horse. By some miracle, the figure had apparently not heard his approach. Lord Barlowe drew his sword and, very quietly, snuck up behind the man. He brought his sword to the man's throat._

_"You appeared injured. I'm curious; how did you receive such a wound?" As he spoke, he circled around the man, careful to keep his sword against the man's neck. But as he circled around, instead of making out any features of the man, he saw only black cloth hanging shapelessly from the shoulders, and unnatural shadows hiding the face..._

Senel opened his eyes and was taken by surprise. It was still dark outside, but of late he had often woken up in the middle of the night. That same dream kept coming again and again, and he never could see the person's face. Besides, who was this Barlowe person he was apparently in the place of within the dream? And why would he consistently dream about such a thing? Maybe Will was right. Maybe he was just worried. They were all worried.

All worry and surprise left him just as quickly as it had come, and his face softened. An emotion he couldn't quite identify caused his stomach to clench.

Inches away from his face, her lithe frame kneeling so she was level with his face resting against his pillow, was Chloe Valens herself. He knew the dream had something to do with her, but he wasn't thinking about that now. All he could think of was the fact that she was here, staring back at him with the deep brown eyes he remembered so clearly, wearing the same expression he remembered her wearing in the Forest of No Return, after the ordeal with Alcott. The same expression she wore after he had told her, with a heavy lump in his throat that he didn't understand, that Shirley would be crushed if he pursued a relationship with someone else. But what does that mean, Senel? He didn't know. Do you love Shirley? He stuttered, looking for an answer. She got mad. Finally he said yes, maybe he did. This just got her more upset. They argued briefly, but he couldn't even gather his thoughts together. Finally, she admitted, "I will always have feelings for you, Senel. But I cannot decide anything for you, I cannot make you return my feelings, and I can't-" here he thought her voice hitched, but he could have been mistaken, "I can't wait forever to know."

The whole walk back to Werites Beacon he would steal glances at her, only to see the same pained expression mixed with what he had long come to realize was in fact very real and very deep love. The same expression she wore now, only where there had always been a certain light underneath the pain before, that light seemed almost extinguished now.

"Chloe..."

She took a step back and turned around, shaking her head. He sat up. "Chloe, what are you doing here?"

She faced him again. There was desperation in her eyes. "Coolidge, I..." She shook her head again, clenching her eyes shut. When she opened them again, her face was perfectly composed, cold. It caused a lump of ice to slowly start forming in the pit of his stomach. "Do you believe the rumors?"

"I..."

"You do." She sighed and leaned against the windowsill, shoulders hunched together. He noticed the skull mask in her hand.

"Chloe... Have you been using the Skull Mask?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

She laughed bitterly. "Don't patronize me, Coolidge. Everything I've done these past few months I've only done because I've had to."

"Chloe, what's going on?"

She straightened and walked toward him. He stood. She stopped only inches from his face. "Recent events have set in motion things unlike anything we've encountered before. Raynard is already a few yards from your doorstep, so I don't have much time to tell you what to expect."

He placed his hands on her shoulders. She tensed up briefly, then relaxed. Her face became less cold, and he recognized his friend again. "Chloe, whatever it is, I'm sure we can help you."

"Senel..." There were tears in her eyes. A knock at the door sounded below. Coldness returned to her eyes. "You're very familiar with the traditions and tales of the Ferines, but you must become even more familiar with the traditions and tales of your own people, the Orerines. There isn't much time, and there certainly isn't any time to waste. Pay special attention to the First Legends. You don't want to be caught by surprise."

"Senel? Are you awake?"

"Chloe, please. Stay here for tonight."

"I can't."

"Please. If you want me to, I won't tell anyone."

"Senel..." Her hand lifted, hovering just next to his cheek. She tore her gaze away. "Goodbye, Senel." He didn't see exactly how, but she seemed to glide through the window and up onto the roof. He felt a distinct hollowness in his chest with her absence.

"Senel?"

He tried to ignore the confusion growing in his mind. He faked a yawn and messed his hair on the way down the stairs. He opened the door. "Will? Why are you here so late?"

"I'm sorry, Senel, I know you haven't been sleeping well lately. I would't have come if it wasn't urgent."

"What's up?"

Will sighed. "It's Chloe. She was here tonight. I saw her in the graveyard."

"She was here? It's been so long..."

"I know."

"What did you do?" Senel asked quietly.

"I did the only thing I could do. I told her I would ask Madame Musette to grant her sanctuary, but that I had to take her in."

"And what did she do?" Senel walked over to the kitchen and set the teapot on the stove. He was met with silence. "Will?"

"...She tried to attack me."

Senel was quiet. "...What do you mean 'tried'?"

"She rushed at me. I thought I would have to fight her, so I started to chant my crystal eres, but... She would have stabbed me, except there was a bright flash of light. When I was able to see again, she was gone."

Senel leaned against the counter. The clock ticked in the quiet of the night. Cicadas and a gentle breeze could be heard outside. "What did she want?"

"She said she was coming to see you. I came here hoping to reach you before she did."

Senel turned back toward the stove, his back to Will. He opened a cupboard and busied himself with picking tea.

"Senel? Did she already come?"

"No. She wouldn't have had much time to do anything if she had." Will didn't respond. Senel took out two mugs and poured hot water over a bag of Rexalian Breakfast tea for Will, Wild Berry Mint for himself. "Do you believe the rumors?"

"I'm not sure, Senel. Chloe always seemed to love her country. Maybe... Maybe the politics finally got to her. It would have gotten to anybody."

Senel set his mug down hard and crossed his arms. "You do believe them, don't you?"

"I didn't say that, Senel. All I'm saying is that the evidence is stacked against her. I will admit, it doesn't _seem_ like her at all."

"I-" his voice caught, the memory of her strange behavior just minutes ago still fresh in his mind. "Whatever. I know Chloe has an explanation." He didn't say it as strongly as he would have liked.

"Senel, I care about Chloe, too. " Will took a sip of tea, then set down his mug when Senel didn't answer. He looked Senel in the eye. "Senel, what are you not telling me?"

"It's nothing," he snapped. "I'm tired, I haven't been sleeping well, I keep having that same dream and I'm sure it has something to do with Chloe, and now you're here telling me she was in Werites Beacon? I don't know what's happening, Will, but it's something strange, and it's something we can't ignore." Senel leaned forward, elbows on his knees, fists clenched tightly.

"Senel, whatever's happening, we'll find a way to handle it. We stopped the Nerifes Cannon. We stopped Schwartz. Whatever this is, we can stop it too."

"We were each _barely_ able to face our dark selves. What if it's too much this time?"

Will was quiet for a long time. Finally, quietly, he said, "The Creator has his hand on everything, Senel."

Senel scowled. "Honestly, Will, all that 'Creator' stuff is the last thing I need to hear right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that when I think of the Creator, I think of the Creator's 'Holy Kingdom of Gadoria', and whenever I think of them I think of how much they hate Chloe and the Ferines."

"I see. I'm sorry, Senel."

"Nevermind. Look, it's almost five in the morning. I'm not gonna get any more sleep. I'll get up now and start my rounds early. I need to clear my head anyway."

"Alright." Will stood. "Don't forget, we all decided to have lunch together at Lumen Spring."

"Yeah." Will left.

Senel sighed. _What's going on, Chloe..?_

...xXx...

Reviews are always appreciated, especially since it's been so long since I've played the game :)


	3. Chapter Two: Stubborn Friendship

**Xonel: **So false alarm, I decided not to change my pen name. I would like to thank Sanluris, Lil'MissEya, and my old friend Moonlight M3lody very much for your reviews. Yes, I am still alive! And I have not forgotten this fandom though I've been away for so long! Let's all band together and bring revival to this fandom. For Shining Blue! XD haha

**Chapter Two: Stubborn Friendship**

_ As I said, I really should have known Lord Byron was up to something. In hindsight, he took advantage of my churning emotions, planting a seed of doubt in my mind which played off of the despair I had thought was long gone. After all, it had been so long that I had found a new family among my friends. I was convinced that because I had them, I would no longer have any reason to fall back into such a dark place- feeling alone and seeking to confront my loneliness with revenge. Byron had a uniquely opportune time in that not only was I already very sad because it was the day my parents had been killed, but I was also away from all of my friends and had only my chamberlain, Nicole- the only person to remain loyal to me and my parents' name after the fall of the House of Valens. Even so, it was not the same as having my friends near to me._

_ Lord Byron was quick to suggest to me that all was not well among the nobility, that in fact alliances were being formed between the Houses, and that although my official title as High Lady of the House of Valens had been stripped from me, it was not altogether forgotten. It was time for me to start making some very important decisions, according to him. Decisions I had not been able to make when I was younger. I was suspicious, of course. My initial feeling was that Lord Byron was trying to win my allegiance. This suspicion sharpened when I returned to the manor, a week after my initial encounter with Lord Byron at the church, to receive a strange letter from Nicole which he had left for me. It said only to meet him in the city, that he had traveled via duct to take care of some business with Lord Gavin, and that he wished to show me something._

_ When I met with him, he showed me a Skull Mask._

...xXx...

Senel started to walk back toward the main entrance of Werites Beacon. Since they defeated Schwartz, the city had grown in both size and population, and it was becoming more of a concern every week. While it was good that the city was growing, Will was worried about the threat of monsters attacking its citizens on the outer borders. Generally, monsters stayed away and didn't cause any problems, and no one had been seriously hurt so far (there was an incident with some young boys who kept throwing rocks at an Eggtopus, but that was entirely their own fault). Still, it was a legitimate concern since so few of the citizens were properly trained to defend themselves.

In response, Will had appointed a few mercenaries who had traveled from the Mainland to be sheriffs along with Senel, and they kept a constant rotation of patrol duties. Senel had just finished his morning rounds and was making his way toward Lumen Spring to meet up with the rest of the gang for lunch. On his way past the inn, he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Senny! Wait up!"

"What is it Norma?"

The yellow-clad treasure hunter pouted. "I just wanted to walk up with you, geez..."

Senel didn't reply.

"Is something wrong? You look exhausted, even for you."

"It's nothing- I just started my rounds early, that's all." Well at least it wasn't a complete lie.

"You? Early? Wow, now _that's_ reason to celebrate!" Senel didn't laugh. Norma calmed down and frowned. "Hey, are you sure nothing's up? You seem kinda distracted."

"I'm fine, Norma." They continued a few steps, by now passing by Will's house, which was already empty. He and Harriet must already have left. Senel sighed. "Have you heard anything lately from the Mainland?"

Senel looked at Norma when she didn't reply immediately. It wasn't like her to clam up, especially when she hadn't talked to him in a couple of weeks. While the seven of them stayed in contact as much as they could, their separate duties sometimes kept them from seeing eachother for weeks at a time. This was the first time they were all gathering to have lunch together in a month and a half.

"I know what that really means, Senny, and I don't like it one bit."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, duh, why else would you bring up the Mainland? The rumors about C are all over the place!"

"And what do you think about them?" he asked quietly. A lot had changed in the past four years. Norma was still annoying- sometimes almost to the point of inducing homicidal tendencies in the people around her- but like all of them, she had changed over time. She was still very much herself, but she knew when to be serious.

"What do I think about it?! It's all a load of Eringi crap if you ask me! There's no way C would try to kill the king and then go off stealing and attacking people while she was on the run! Don't tell me you of all people buy any of that stuff?!"

"I didn't say that," he snapped. "Look, I'm just as convinced as you are that Chloe wasn't the one who attacked the king, but she's got herself in a lot of trouble. There's something else going on here that we don't know about. Why else would she plead guilty?"

"You got me on that one." Norma's shoulders slumped. "I wish we could talk to her."

The statement caught Senel off guard and he very obviously tripped over a large rock in the path.

"Whoa, you okay there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Norma squinted. "Wait a minute... Senny?"

"What?" he said sharply.

"What are you not saying?"

Senel stopped. It suddenly dawned on him that this conversation was starting to sound more and more like the one he had had with Chloe just a few hours ago. He already lied to Will. Was he going to lie to Norma too? Aside from himself, Norma probably knew Chloe the best out of their little group. He still had no idea what it had been about, but he remembered several times she and Chloe would be off by themselves, slightly separated from the rest of them. He always got the vague impression that they would talk about him a lot, but that couldn't be right.

Suddenly, he felt like he needed in ally in what had happened and what it could lead to, and, oddly enough, Norma seemed just the right person to be that ally. He told her what had happened that morning, as well as what Will had told him.

"She just didn't seem herself at all," he said finally.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember the black mist?"

Norma scowled. "How could any of us_ forget?_"

"It was almost like it wasn't Chloe, but her dark self. Only, I know that it _was_ Chloe. She wasn't made out of black mist, it was really her."

"Ohhh... this really isn't good..."

"Just don't tell anything to the others yet."

"Are you really sure that's such a good idea, Senny? I mean, if anyone would have a good idea of what to do, I would think it would be Teach and JJ..."

"I need to talk to Chloe again before we tell any of them. She left in a hurry and I didn't get to talk to her very much."

They continued walking in silence for a good minute before Norma spoke up again. "So... why did you decide to tell this to _me_ of all people? Isn't Shirl your go-to confidant?"

The question caught him off guard and he nearly tripped again. "Well..."

Norma grinned slyly. "Is it because it's C?"

Suddenly he felt like a cornered Eggbear and he wasn't sure why. "I don't know."

"Oh yes you do." Norma's grin widened. She poked him in the ribs and he leapt aside.

"Norma, this is serious! I don't know what the hell is going on!"

Norma looked straight ahead. The smile didn't leave, but her face was more composed. "That's exactly why I'm trying to lighten your mood a little. Like I always say, you can't always focus on the doom and gloom- that's letting it _win."_

"Hmph."

By the time they reached Lumen Spring, Moses was already sneaking sandwiches and Harriet was demanding that Jay try her latest concoction. Certain things had not changed over the years; Harriet's cooking was still just as horrible and Jay still, for whatever reason, always gave in to her demands.

Senel noted that Will still seemed reserved. His arms were crossed and he wasn't smacking Moses on the head for sneaking food before everyone had arrived. Shirley seemed tired- which was understandable. Even after four years, there was still much to do in the way of Ferines-Orerines negotiations. Progress was happening slowly. While Madame Musette and certain other Rexalian officials were willing to pursue continued peace and diplomacy, there were a good number of Rexalians who were still suspicious, and that wasn't even touching on Gadoria. Relations with Gadoria had come to a halt the past couple of months. Crusand had ignored all attempts at negotiating peace, and they hadn't even had a chance to try contacting the other nations on the Mainland.

But even while Shirley had all of this to worry about and still had a lifetime of work cut out for her, Senel saw a peace and calm happiness about her as she sat next to Elsa and Harriet. He was glad- she deserved a break for once.

"Yo, Bubbles! Maybe you can settle this. Which was scarier last week- the booby trapped floor in the hidden section of the Thunder Monument, or the statue that came to life and started attackin' us?"

"Statue, hands down!"

"You see? Even _she_ agrees with me. Only someone as stupid as you would fall for a booby trap that obvious."

"It wasn't obvious!"

"Uh, Red? Do you need your eyes checked? The whole floor tile lit up an entirely different color."

"How am I s'posed to know that means anythin'!?"

"By _listening_ to the more experienced treasure hunter telling you 'Hey, stupid bandit, don't step on that!'"

Will came out of his reverie. "You know, both of you should be more careful when you explore these places on your own. There's still a lot we don't understand about the Legacy and it's ruins."

"Well how else are we supposed to keep learning about it besides exploring?" Norma plopped down next to Moses and snatched a sandwich out of his hand.

Senel sat next to Shirley as Moses started to complain about the stolen sandwich.

Shirley offered him a welcoming smile. "I'm glad we were all able to meet up for lunch today."

Senel returned the smile. He felt some of the tension slide off his shoulders as he felt the familiar comaraderie that came with the usual antics of his friends. All of them had their quirks, and it was good to be able to spend the afternoon with them after so long. He couldn't ignore the fact that one of them was missing, but he thought that maybe Norma was right. Maybe he _did _need to lighten up a bit. After all, there was nothing he could do at the moment, and worrying certainly wouldn't help. "Me too."

"How has the city been?" Most of Shirley's time was now spent at Maurit's old hermitage. Even when she did get a chance to come to Werites Beacon, it was usually to discuss the latest diplomatic developments with Madame Musette, and she didn't usually get to spend much time outside of her Excellency's house.

"Still just as fast-paced as ever. Will hired two more sheriffs from last month's recruits and there are three other deputies who just need some extra training before they'll be ready. A new tea bar opened up at the south end, and some guy from Rexalia is trying to get clearance to build a noodle house."

"Wow... Werites Beacon is going to be as big as one of the cities on the Mainland pretty soon..."

"Yeah, it is... How are the negotiations going?"

Shirley frowned. "Not so good... A messenger from one of the other Ferines villages arrived yesterday."

"What did he say?"

Shirley shook her head. "He came representing several villages, saying that they all opposed any further negotiations."

"What?!" Senel noticed everyone stop what they were doing and look at him. He didn't care. He had come to expect resistance from the Orerines, but so far the Ferines had been in complete agreement with Maurits that peace was the will of Nerifes, even if they were cautious and hesitant. This was going to put a huge snag in all of their hopes for lasting peace.

"Senel, we'll find a way to work through it. Don't worry." She offered him another smile, but this time he could see the worry behind her eyes.

"Merines!"

They all turned toward the sound of the voice. It was one of the Ferines, a guy Senel knew had become an integral part of the negotiations alongside Shirley and Maurits- Seph.

He landed in front of them and bowed slightly, golden red wings winking out in a soft puff of light. He was usually quietly happy, but today he looked like he had seen a ghost. "Merines, you and your friends must come to the hermitage immediately! Quickly! You'll understand when you get there!"

They all left immediately, heading straight for the duct, Will giving quick instructions to Harriet and Elsa to wait for him at the hospital with Alcott.

It only took a few minutes for them to reach the small hermitage, but when they did, they heard shouting and the sound of clashing metal and stone. The whole village was under attack.

"What the heck are those things?!" Norma started chanting as Senel rushed forward, followed closely by Seph and Jay. He sent a Demon Fist straight ahead at the first monster- what appeared to be a skeleton made of black mist.

"Senel, don't worry about the monsters! Hurry to the back before she escapes!"

At Seph's words he felt a sinking feeling. _Dammit, that better not mean what I think it means..._ He gave Seph a nod and rushed toward the back of the village. Amid the sounds of fighting, he could still hear the sounds of metal clashing against stone.

"You don't understand at all! You have to let me out of here!"

The muffled voice confirmed his fears. He stopped right in front of the small building just as he heard a determined "Tiger Blade!" and the wall came crashing down in front of him. A figure dressed all in black collided with him, both of them tumbling to the ground.

Chloe's stunned eyes met him for a brief second before she leapt to her feet. "Remember what I told you, Coolidge." She tried to run past him, but he managed to grab her shoulders.

"Chloe, please, you have to tell me what's going on!"

A pained expression crossed her face. "I can't." She looked up as two winged skeletons of black mist flew past them. "Senel, you have to let me go."

"Senny, look out!" Norma cast Indignation, striking one of the monsters just before it had a chance to attack him. She ran up to the two of them.

In a flash, Chloe brought the edge of her sword up to Senel's neck. "Senel, please, don't make me hurt you- I have to leave, now!"

"Senel, don't let her escape," Seph shouted over the din. "She's the one who brought these creatures here! It's her fault the messenger was killed!"

"Chloe, please, let me help you!"

Something started to glow behind her. She shoved him away, knocking him off balance. "Now is not the time, Coolidge!" She started to run.

"C, wait up!"

Senel scrambled to his feet as Norma started to chase her. Before he could even say a word, another monster tackled him. He struggled to throw it off, aware that Chloe was getting farther away with every second. "Impact!"As the monster disappeared, he tried to give chase, but two more attacked him from the air, just as he saw both Chloe and Norma disappear around the edge of the village.

_Please, I need to get far away from here..._

Before the familiar blinding flash of light came, she felt something collide with her from behind. There was the disorienting tumble through flashing colors and lights that she had come to associate with teleporting, but there was something else that was tumbling along with her, and she couldn't tell exactly what it was. She closed her eyes, having learned after the few times it had happened that it was better not to try to make physical sense of what was happening, lest she start vomiting as soon as it ended. Soon, the tumble did end, and she kept her eyes closed for a moment, feeling cool grass underneath her, and letting the cool sea breeze soothe her.

With her sudden absence, the creatures should have left as they always did. The hermitage should be safe now.

She let out a relieved sigh, but tensed up as soon as she heard a groan, followed by the distinct sound of someone losing their lunch.

She was on her feet in an instant, a scowl on her face, as she saw Norma doubled over. She considered making a run for it. They were just outside of Port on Rage, exactly where she needed to be. Of course, the next ship to the Mainland wouldn't be leaving for at least a few minutes, which would give Norma some time to try to find her. She shook her head. It didn't matter. She couldn't let Norma follow.

Her hesitation cost her. She hadn't noticed Norma chanting between retching. "Icicle!"

"Unh!" The attack caught her off guard and Chloe found herself unable to move, half trapped in a pillar of ice. She watched as Norma wiped her mouth with her hand, shaking off bits of half-digested food with a fling of the wrist, a look of disgust on her face. "You've learned some new tricks."

"Yeah, that's what happens when I need to save Red's sorry butt all the time. Ugh... Remind me not to eat lots of mayo and mustard right before we travel by whatever-the-heck-that-was again."

"Let me go."

Norma turned to face her and shrugged. "It'll melt in a couple of minutes. I'm not gonna risk scorching you just to make it melt faster."

Chloe growled. "Norma, I have to get out of here. I've been on the Legacy too long as it is."

She thought she saw a look of hurt flash across Norma's face briefly. "So, what? You just say hi to Senny and that's it? I get that you still have a huge thing for him but the rest of us care about you too, y'know!"

Chloe tried breaking free of the ice to no avail. She noticed the ground beneath her free foot quickly turning muddy. At least it was melting quickly. "Go back to Werites Beacon."

"For what? So you can just run off to Gadoria where every single soldier is looking for you?"

"You don't know what's going on! It's obvious I can't stay here on the Legacy. I have a mission and I'm not going to let you stop me, Norma."

Norma shrugged and shook her head. "Who said anything about stopping you? I won't pretend I have any idea what's going on. I'm more confused than I have been in years, but I'm not just gonna stand by while you go risking your neck by yourself to do whatever it is you need to do."

Chloe clenched her fist and shifted her arm. She could almost pull her arm free of the ice. Her leg was still almost entirely encase, but if she could just get her arm free, she should be able to shatter the rest of the ice with a blow from her sword. "It's nothing you can help me with, Norma."

"Oh come _on,_ C! I may not be the most politically savvy or the best fighter but I got two things you need."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Norma, you're not coming with me."

"Healing eres and gald. _Lots_ of gald. And you know what a greedy little twerp I am, so the fact that I'm even bringing up the gald I have should convince you that I ain't goin' anywhere. So there."

The ice still had her trapped. She clenched her jaw. She never expected that _Norma_ of all people would be able to corner her when she had been able to slip away from Coolidge so easily.

"Besides," Norma continued, "how were you gonna buy passage on one of the ships? No offense, C, but you look like you've been through the wringer, so I doubt you can pay for a ticket. There's no chance you can just sneak onto a boat in broad daylight, and if you wait to board one of the ships leaving after nightfall, you'll have more people than just me to worry about."

Chloe slumped against the ice, suddenly very tired. Norma made a good argument, and while her mind shouted that it was a very stupid thing to bring her along, a very small part of her was almost grateful Norma was being so stubborn. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad having her around, at least for the voyage back to the Mainland. She still didn't like traveling alone over the sea- or at all for that matter- though she had been forced to do so several times in the past.

She met Norma's eyes. "We part ways as soon as we land."

Norma shrugged. "Have it your way." She stuck out her hand toward Chloe's free hand. "Promise you won't run off on me if I break you out of there?"

Chloe scowled. "Fine. You have my word." They shook.

Norma smiled. "Great! Then let's go!" She struck the ice with her straw, shattering it.

"Don't make me regret agreeing to this." Chloe slipped her pack from her shoulders and set the cloth-wrapped sword on the ground. From her pack she took out a faded, loose fitting green tunic, loose brown pants, a black leather belt, and a cap with more than one patch. She changed behind a couple of trees, stuffed her black garb into the pack, and slung the sword and the pack back on her shoulders.

"Wow. You look like a guy." Norma scratched her head, "Er, no offense."

Chloe started walking toward the port. "That's the idea. You're lucky it makes sense you would be seen with me in this disguise. If anyone asks, I'm Jean, an aspiring treasure hunter."

"I take it the big swordlike object on your back is your latest 'find'?"

Chloe shrugged. "I let people think whatever they want."

"Well, if anyone decides to ask, we'll just tell them its a treasure worthy enough of the attention of Norma Beatty, world class treasure hunter and newly self-appointed mentor of newbie treasure hunter Jean!"

Chloe didn't answer. Luckily, Norma took the hint and fell silent as they continued toward the port. Half-heartedly, she tried to shove away the knot of doubt forming in her stomach. She really hoped it wasn't a mistake letting Norma come along. It didn't matter now. It was too late to change plans at the moment. She would just have to leave her as soon as they landed.

After the monsters disappeared, Senel wanted nothing more than to take off and search for Chloe, but that couldn't be done. After speaking with Maurits and Shirley in hushed tones, Seph had excused himself and asked to see Senel privately. He led him to the meeting chamber where, four years ago, Maurits had told them about the Whisper Crystal.

He turned to Senel, holding an object wrapped in cloth in his hands.

"What is that?"

Seph sighed heavily. "I was hoping you could tell me. I haven't ever seen the like of it in person, though I have seen drawings of it. Your friend, Chloe, had it with her. It was the only thing we were able to take from her before we had to lock her in that building." He unwrapped it slowly. It was the Skull Mask. "Judging from your expression, you knew that she had this."

Senel looked away. "Yeah."

"Do you know what this is?"

Senel shrugged. "A few years ago she had it customized. When she put it on she wasn't acting like herself, so she stopped using it."

Seph put the mask on the table and wiped his hands on the cloth, as if wiping away dirt. "I like to read and study lore in my spare time. I haven't had much time to do so since I started helping Maurits and Shirley with the negotiations, but as I said, I have seen it in books in the past. It is said to be a mask which 'hides who one truly is'. There isn't much written about it, but apparently it is more easily made than one would think. Some of the most ancient documents mentioning it speak of a certain swordsman who nearly went mad after wearing it for too long. He was convinced by an evil wizard that wearing it would allow him to defeat all of his enemies. Indeed, as long as he had the mask he was undefeated. But he wasn't himself. He heard voices, felt strange promptings as if someone were telling him to do things he normally wouldn't do. He lost all of his friends. It wasn't until he found himself actually dueling his own brother whom he was very close to, that he was jarred back to reality. After that incident, he destroyed the mask with fire." Seph met Senel's eyes. "I know that there are many rumors circulating out there about your friend. If she's been wearing this mask for very long..." He shook his head. "I regret to say it, but if what I've read of this mask is true, then the rumors could well be true also."

Senel punched the wall next to him. "You don't know what you're talking about! Mask or no mask, I know Chloe wouldn't attack her own people, let alone the king!"

"Senel, I won't pretend that I know Chloe nearly as well as you do, but I've met her on several occasions and I've heard Shirley speak of her many times. While I may not be so direct a friend, I thought she was an admirable person- certainly one of the few in this world to truly live out the ideals of a knight."

"But you still think the mask could have made her do those horrible things, right?"

Seph sighed. "I think there are evils in this world that can make anyone do things they normally wouldn't, and I think the mask is one of them. I have been careful not to even touch the mask, but even knowing the power it holds is enough to make me want to try putting it on." He lowered his voice. "Senel, you must listen to me. Whether she willed it or not, those creatures appeared shortly after Chloe was spotted just outside the hermitage. I do not know what those creatures were or why they appeared, but they seemed to be directly linked to Chloe in some way and they killed the messenger who arrived yesterday. I don't need to tell you that tensions are high with the negotiations. Not only will this further complicate things, but one of our own people is dead."

Senel looked at the mask. He still remembered very clearly the few times Chloe had worn it when it was first made, how she had acted like a completely different person, talking down to all of them, rushing ahead to defeat all the monsters before they could even land a blow- and _succeeding._ He also remembered how she had not acted like herself early that morning. But he couldn't believe she would intentionally kill one of the Ferines, would she? She had tried to kill him four years ago, when the black mist appeared, and now there were strange new monsters that seemed to be made of the mist, right after she had tried attacking Will. Was it Schwartz all over again? Schwartz had told them that she would return one day, after all... _She told me to read the First Legends..._

"Well if it's such an evil thing, we should destroy it, right?"

Seph nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Except that I would like to compare it more closely to some drawings first. There may be a connection between the mask and those creatures which no one has observed before. Perhaps Will can join me for that- he has an extensive library of his own. But yes, as soon as we are done studying it, we should destroy it."

"Alright." Senel sighed.

Seph placed a hand on his shoulder. "I will let you know if we learn anything that may help you find her. With this away from her, it is likely she will start acting more herself very soon... Perhaps I spoke rashly earlier- perhaps she is not responsible for the messenger's death at all. I shouldn't assume such a horrible thing of one who has done such good. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Senel turned to leave, then stopped. "Hey, Seph?"

"Mm?"

"You have a pretty big library here in the hermitage, right? Any chance you have a copy of the First Legends of the Orerines that you can lend me?"

Despite his obvious tiredness, Seph smiled. "I never pinned you as much of an historian, but yes. I have a copy."

...xXx...

Norma didn't usually have very vivid dreams. When she did, it usually involved a hot bod and was the type of dream that would earn her a hearty smack on the head from Teach _and_ C. Lately, those dreams usually involved a certain stupid red-haired bandit- though they weren't nearly as steamy as some she had had in the past when she had been a raging ball of pubescent hormones. Part of her was _glad _those dreams hadn't been as intense. Sure, the stupid bandit had managed to worm his way into a deeper, more exclusive part of her heart than the rest of her male friends, but she sure wasn't going to admit that out loud before _he_ did, and she didn't need her subconscious reminding her of that little secret. She had admired C's guts in telling Senny her feelings (and enjoyed having a front-row seat in the whole saga), but for herself, that just wasn't her style.

Yeah, yeah, _she_ was the one who had pushed C to do half the things she ended up doing to try to win Senny over. She admitted she was a hypocrite when it came to romance. So sue her.

Of course, _none_ of this was on her mind at the moment, because she was in the middle of an _extremely_ vivid dream that _didn't_ involve Moses, Sven, or any other hot male figure.

She was sitting on the tiny cot built into the wall of their cramped cabin, and C was sitting up on the other cot, elbows on her knees, holding her head in her hands. But the walls, ceiling, and floor of the cabin were missing, and there was only blackness surrounding them.

Norma stood, took a step toward Chloe, and poked her shoulder. "C?"

No response. She was still as a statue.

"Chloe has been in a very dark place, hasn't she?"

"Yeah, I think she has been."

Norma blinked, suddenly very aware that the question had not come from herself, or Chloe, but from someone else. She turned and her jaw dropped. "G-Girl?!"

Grune smiled softly. "It's been a long time since I've been able to speak so directly with you, Norma."

"I'll say. You just up and turn into a goddess and then leave all of us?" Norma crossed her arms, frowning, eyes suddenly full of hot tears. _Uh-uh. I am __**not**__ gonna start crying in my own stupid dream!_

"I was only allowed to physically stay with all of you for a short amount of time."

"Allowed by _who?_ You're a _goddess _for crying out loud."

Grune took a couple of steps forward and hugged her. Norma hesitated before returning the hug. "I am not a goddess in the way that all of you understand it. I may have abilities which you do not, but I am only a servant of one who is far greater than I."

"And who would that be?"

There was a certain excitement that danced behind her eyes which Norma couldn't pin down. "You will learn in time." She turned her gaze to Chloe and her brow furrowed slightly, sadness entering her eyes. "For now, you have Chloe to attend to. She is about to enter a time of trial, but you can help her if you wish to."

Norma shook her head slowly. "Honestly, G-Girl, I don't know that I can do _anything._ I don't even know what's really been going on."

"You need only to be yourself, Norma. Who knows, but that you have been chosen for such a time as this?"

"HA! That's a good one. Me. Chosen. Haha."

Grune waved her hand, and the cots and Chloe disappeared. They were in an inn, and Norma saw herself sleeping in one of the beds. Chloe was awake, pack on her shoulder, hand on the doorknob to leave. She stood there for a long while, then finally sighed, set the pack down and flung herself on the other bed. Grune waved her hand again. Now they were floating above a road, the landscape dotted with trees. Norma saw herself and Chloe walking along the side of the road, not speaking. Grune waved her hand again. They were floating above a small campsite. Norma saw herself asleep. Chloe had her knees pulled up under her chin and poked the fire with a stick, glancing at Norma from time to time. Grune waved her hand again. They were floating above a plain, a castle in the distance. Norma saw herself and Chloe rushing toward the castle, but it seemed like they weren't moving very quickly, as if one of them was injured.

Grune waved her hand one last time, and they were back in the blackness with the cots.

"Do you understand?"

Norma shook her head and laughed nervously. "That, um... seems like an awful lot of walking we're gonna be doing."

"Do not be afraid, Norma. You are never alone. Certainly not when you're caring for a friend."

Norma swallowed hard and looked at Chloe, still frozen on the cot. "You know me, G-Girl. I've never been one for responsibility or even helping people very much. I've always just looked out for myself."

"If that is what you believe about yourself, then let me ask you: Why did you insist so strongly on going with Chloe to the Mainland?"

The question echoed in her mind as she opened her eyes. It was still dark, no doubt late into the night. The ship rocked gently over the waves. She looked to her right, and sure enough Chloe was there, but not sitting up as she had been in her dream. She was fast asleep, facing the opposite wall, blanket pulled up close to her chin.

Norma stared at the ceiling for a long minute, then stubbornly closed her eyes and tried forcing herself to relax and fall asleep.

Why _had_ she insisted on following Chloe?

...xXx...

**Xonel: **As always, reviews are much appreciated and help me to write better chapters (especially since I may be a little rusty on some of the details from the game). I hope you all enjoyed it! :)


	4. Chapter Three: Shadows and Starlight

**Chapter Four: Shadows and Starlight**

_ Nicole, the Creator bless her soul, was quick to caution me, chastise me even. But I did not see it. After the words Lord Byron had strung together I would not listen to reason. He had remained very cryptic. Looking back I see how foolish I was. And how prideful. I was still very young, had no idea what I was doing, and, as I said before, I was still very very hurt. I needed to prove to the Gadorian nobility that I was worthy of the title that had been stolen from me. Lord Byron knew this, and, to his advantage, I had convinced myself that it was not true. Yes, I chose to hide behind the lie that I was doing it all for a greater cause. I did not need to know the details. I knew my mission. I knew to be obedient. I knew that the Creator worked in mysterious ways. Essentially I was blinded and caught in a very intricate net that had me locked into position psychologically, morally, I would even say spiritually..._

_ Needless to say, the Skull Mask helped this along quite well. It provided the last push that I needed to move from the realm of mere thought to definitive action. I had only put it on once. That was enough to convince me to start spying on Lady Aturi. By the third time, I was convinced that the Eternal Sword was of special import. And by the fifth, I started to almost audibly hear strange voices, and at times I would see shadows out of the corners of my eyes. By then, I stopped listening to Nicole altogether. Though we still lived under the same roof, I had removed myself from the one person near to me whom I could trust._

...xXx...

Norma kept glancing at Chloe out of the corner of her eye from time to time. It had come to the point where she knew that Chloe knew that she kept doing it, and if Chloe had noticed her glancing at her with what must be an obviously worried expression so much then she must know that something had happened last night, right? Not just the whole "leaving-the-Legacy-for-what-might-be-forever-with-a-possibly-homicidal-friend", but surely she could guess about Grune appearing to her in a dream, right? It wasn't entirely crazy to assume that the Skull Mask or something else had made Chloe psychic, right? After all, they had gone through some crazy teleport thing the night before.

She glanced at Chloe again, taking in the changes to her features since she had left the Legacy all those years ago. In a word, she looked worn. She was all thin muscle and sinew, not that she had ever had much body fat, but she now looked to be almost dangerously thin. Her skin had darkened, and Norma could make out pink hues accenting her forehead and cheekbones, obviously from spending far more time outdoors than she had been since they defeated Schwartz. Her hair, cut even shorter now, was a dull, limp mop. Her hands, which she had somehow always managed to keep in good condition for a swordswoman, were now covered in callouses and tiny scars.

But the thing that bothered Norma the most was Chloe's expression. At the moment, she had none of the fire and bite mingled with frustrated anger in her eyes that she had seen the day before. Now her eyes were almost glossed over with some unseen film, staring out over the rolling waves. That was the detail that was so unnatural. Chloe hated water. What must be going through her brain to have her standing at the railing of a rocking ship, staring at her elemental mortal enemy?

It was enough to make Norma doubt what had happened the day before. It was enough to make her doubt that her constant uncomfortable-silence-induced-glances had been noticed by Chloe at all, were it not for Chloe occasionally glancing back.

Like she did right then.

Norma cleared her throat. Yup. This was definitely awkward. She shifted uncomfortably and pretended to be fascinated with a cloud, still studying Chloe out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly it dawned on her why she felt so uncomfortable. It wasn't anything Chloe had done the day before, she felt no suspicion toward her, no anger, no frustation... well, maybe a little frustration, but who wouldn't? No, at the heart of what she felt was... pity. She had never really felt pity like this before, and it seemed so counter to the Chloe she knew. The Chloe she knew invoked courage, inspiration, maybe a little fear sometimes (though Shirley could be far scarier), and yes, frustration. But never pity. Norma had never felt pity for anyone since... probably ever. She had felt sorry for people, on very _very_ rare occasion felt that noble sense of wanting to help people. But _pity?_ It almost seemed rude.

But she did feel it, and could not understand what to do with it, except continue in awkward silence until finally, Chloe shook her head and took a shaky step away from the railing, as if realizing how close she was to the water, then going back below deck.

..xXx...

Something was wrong. A nagging voice in her mind kept telling her that something was terribly wrong. But she couldn't put her finger on what it was. It was like a thick fog had come over her mind. Or perhaps it was being blown through and past her mind. Either way, she had trouble thinking.

What had happened the day before? Somehow she had ended up on a ship with Norma. Only, she couldn't even remember Norma distinctly. Why was she there? Why was she coming back to the Legacy with her?

_No, wait. That's not right. I am returning to Gadoria... I just **left** the Legacy._

She struggled to remember. She had been near the Forest of No Return when her voices had decided to argue again. She knew, at the time, that she had come to the Legacy with a purpose, to talk to Coolidge. But why? Some of the voices had said it was vital to her mission. Others said he could not be trusted. And that was when the shadows had appeared again. She hated the shadows, those spawn of this enemy who was worse than Schwartz. She had tried fighting them, but the Mini Gelares Sword would not cooperate and kept twisting and hissing in her hand. So she had had no choice but to flee. She had sought refuge at Mauritz's Hermitage, but had been tricked. Somehow the Ferines had managed to lock her into one of their stone huts. Of course, that only made more of the shadows appear and start attacking everyone. It was the fourth time such a thing had happened since she had become the Raven.

Suddenly, it clicked. She wasn't wearing the Skull Mask. That was why she felt so ill at ease.

She jerked back, suddenly realizing how close she was to the water she hated to much, and went below deck to the cabin to check her belongings.

It wasn't there.

...xXx...

Norma couldn't bring herself to stand outside for very long. She finally admitted to herself that she was worried, that Chloe was not acting like herself at _all,_ and that that was enough cause _to_ be worried. She went below deck to find Chloe furiously going through both their belongings, which were already strewn about the room.

"Uh... C?"

"_Where is it?!"_ Chloe continued frantically searching, wild determination in her eyes.

Norma glanced around the room. "C, what are you looking for?"

Chloe glanced at her and something shifted in the air between them, like a watery transparent sillouette. Norma stumbled backward against the door. _Am I starting to see things? _"C, you gotta calm down!"

"Shut up!" Norma bit back a retort when Chloe continued to mumble something, obviously not directed at her. Norma swallowed, at a loss. _G-Girl, if there's any way at all that you can hear me, I could really use some help right now!_ A soft glow started to emanate from under Chloe's cot. Chloe continued searching, but her movements became slower, more restrained, until finally she stopped, sitting on the floor against Norm's cot, breathing heavily.

Norma glanced at the space where the glow had come from. The cloth-wrapped tip of the Eternal Sword peeked out from under a tossed shirt.

She gulped, then sat down next to Chloe and lightly touched her shoulder. "Um." She coughed. "I mean... Are you okay, C?"

Chloe met her eyes. All at once, Norma saw her old friend, the same Chloe Valens who cherished chivalry and chased justice to an almost suicidal degree. The same reserved knight who was so awkward with romance of any kind. The same wounded noble who had been stripped of her parents and her title. But added to these things was a certain fear that Norma had never seen. Her eyes told her that it was indeed Chloe Valens, but that she somehow felt trapped in her own skin.

Chloe tore her eyes away and slumped forward. "No, Norma. I'm not okay."

Norma noticed glistening droplets start to fall from behind the black hair that hid Chloe's face, landing softly on her hands. _Alright, this is totally weird._ She awkwardly gave Chloe a side hug. "I'm, um... just not gonna say anything, cuz I have no idea what's going on. Okay?" Chloe remained silent.

Norma looked around the room again, and this time noticed a blue leather bound book that had been tossed to the floor and landed only a few inches from her. She picked it up and smoothed the pages. Stamped on the front cover in gold was a sword. "Hey, I didn't know you were carrying a copy of the First Legends. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, you being from Gadoria and all."

Chloe straightened. "There's something missing in there that I just can't understand."

Norma frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I... I don't know. It's..." She squeezed her eyes shut, rubbed her temples with the heels of her hands. "It's been so hard for me to think clearly lately."

"C, what's been going on?"

Chloe shook her head slowly. "I can't..."

"Can't what?"

Her eyes flared open. Norma jerked back, startled. "Where is the Skull Mask?!" Chloe started rummaging through the tossed clothing.

"Is that what you were looking for? C, I don't think it's here."

Her head snapped around to meet Norma's eyes. The wild look had returned. "What do you mean it's not here?!"

_"There is a strong battle happening within Chloe, Norma. You must help her remember who she is."_

Norma shook her head. _"G-Girl, if that's you in my head, you gotta help me out a little more than that. I have __**no**__ idea what I'm doing here."_

_"Open your lips, and proclaim His praise! The praise of one much greater than I!"_

Norma spoke the first words that came to her. "Come, O Creator Spirit blessed, and in our souls take up thy rest. Come with thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which thou hast made!" She felt a mild tingle course through her body, similar to what she felt whenever she used crystal eres.

Almost instantly, Chloe become still. Another strange watery silhouette passed in front of Chloe. It passed around her and came close to Norma. "Um... heh. I'm not scared, I've faced plenty of monsters. I mean, sure I could _see_ most of them, but..."

_"Focus!"_

"Matrem in cælum, peto a sacratissimo Sanguine Filii tui Filium mittat suspiria nemo expellere flagitium est."

Instantly, the water silhouette materialized into a vaguely human shape made of what looked like black mist. Two deep pinpricks of red shown out from the depths of the black face where its eyes should have been. Almost as soon as it appeared, it fled, flying through the wall and letting out a high pitched shriek.

"OW." Norma squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the sudden ringing in her ears. When it had passed, she looked up and saw Chloe slumped against the wall, her eyes closed.

"C? Are you okay?"

Norma remained still, waiting for a response. A moment passed, and then Chloe groaned softly, straightened, and rubbed her forehead. Finally, she blinked. "Norma? What just happened?"

Norma shrugged and laughed nervously. "Your guess is just as good as mine."

Chloe lifted herself from the floor to her cot. Norma mirrored her actions so that she was sitting facing her. "Are you feeling any better?"

Chloe met her eyes briefly. _Well that's good. At least that crazy look is gone again, _Norma thought.

"I think so..." Chloe looked around the room. Her eyes locked on a black shirt that had landed next to the foot of Norma's cot. Eventually, she looked out the window at the rolling waves before finally looking back down at the floor. "I'm remembering bits and pieces, and I keep hoping that those bits and pieces are only from a dream, but I know they aren't."

"Did you attack the king?"

Chloe's eyes snapped to her own. For a brief moment, Norma was afraid Chloe would attack her. Instead, she just sighed and looked away, looking very tired. "No. At least, I don't think I did. I don't know..."

"What do you mean you don't know? I would think you would remember a thing like that."

"I don't think that I would have attacked him willingly. I certainly wouldn't do so now, but... These past several months are... hard to remember."

Norma frowned. "C, what the heck happened?" Chloe was silent. Norma sighed. "Well, look. I came along cuz you were acting crazy and I was worried and we were _all_ worried and some hidden spark of humanitarianism in me wanted to help you because you're my friend. And at the risk of sounding like Senny, I really wish you would tell me what's going on because I can't help you unless you do!"

"Norma, I... You shouldn't have come with me. If anyone recognizes me and they see you helping me, we'll both be killed."

"Well then you better start explaining things so I can make sure that doesn't happen!" Chloe only continued staring off to the side. _Man, she can be a stubborn little... agh! _Norma stood and pointed a finger at her face. "Look! I came here because I was convinced that none of the rumors are true! But after that weird thing that just happened I'm kinda freaked out and it would help if you would tell me something! Prefereably something to reinforce my crazy belief that the C _I_ know would never raise her sword against her own king, especially after having already raised it once against a friend." Norma regretted those last few words almost as soon as they left her mouth. "Oh, C. I'm sorry."

"No, I deserved that." Chloe's gaze fell to the floor. "The truth is, Norma, I really can only remember bits and pieces right now. I think... I think there was something to do with the Skull Mask. I think it... did something to my memory."

"Well then I'm glad its gone."

"Yes, that's... probably best..." She sighed. "I have this unshakable feeling that I've been a complete idiot these past several months."

Norma shrugged. "Well, now's the best time to start acting smarter, then."

Chloe nodded. "Yes, you're right. I can't remember all the details, but I can remember some things. I remember something about Lord Byron. He said something about the First Legends. That one of the prophecies was coming to fulfillment."

Norma scratched her head. "Really?"

"Yes, I'm certain of it. I thought it was crazy at first, but then I started to see connections between certain things in the First Legends and things that were happening in Gadoria. Not to mention everything that happened with Schwartz."

"Aww, man! Schwartz is connected to all of this? That is _not_ what I wanted to hear... Is that why you've been carrying that thing around all this time?" She nodded toward the Eternal Sword. 

Chloe nodded. "I'm not sure why, but I know the Eternal Sword is essential to all of this."

"Okay. So what's the plan?"

Chloe let out a breath. "For now, let's go to the dining hall. I still need some time to sort my thoughts."

...xXx...

After they had cleaned the cabin and eaten, they went to sleep. For a while, Chloe couldn't sleep, but stared at the ceiling, emotions churning in her stomach, trying to make sense of what had happened and wondering why she still felt so off balance.

Why had Norma insisted on following her? Why couldn't she remember the last several months?

She remembered attacking Raynard. She remembered visiting Senel. She remembered the hermitage being attacked by those strange creatures, and she remembered teleporting to Port on Rage.

That was how her memory had been. Certain events she could remember clearly, if she really tried. But there were large chunks of time that she could not remember at all, except for vague impressions.

She reached down to the side of her cot and picked up the Mini Gelares Sword. It vibrated in its scabbard when she held it, and seemed to mirror her turmoil. It grew more violent as she held it, until she finally swung her legs over the side of the cot, sitting up. She grabbed her cloak from the peg it was hanging on, glanced briefly at Norma, and left the room with the sword, walking up to the moonlit deck. There was no one in sight.

Tentatively, she stepped up to the rail and leaned her elbows against it, the sword still in her hands. She took a deep breath and released her grip. The humming sword fell into the water with a soft _plunk._

She returned to the cabin, put the cloak back on its peg, and tiredly fell to the bed. As she entered the fog between wakefulness and sleep, she thought she saw a woman.

The woman appeared to be very young, very beautiful, and was clothed in blue starlight. Her skin glowed softly like the moon, and she wore the warmest and kindest smile Chloe had ever seen. She knelt down and lay a soft hand against Chloe's face. Chloe struggled to stay awake, a sudden very intense, but very sweet and strange longing rising in her heart.

"It is okay, little one, my daughter. Though the road ahead is fraught with trials, I will be with you and help you to overcome them. For now, only trust, do not be afraid, and sleep."

Despite her struggles to keep her eyes open, Chloe drifted into unconsciousness, the image of the woman etched in her mind.


	5. Chapter Four: Shirley's Love

**Xonel:** I want to thank Moonlight M3lody and JHFTS for the reviews! Hopefully the length of this chapter makes up for the length of the wait.

As time goes on, I get more ideas for this story and I desire more and more to finish it. On that note, I am trying to update much more frequently, so if you don't see an update within a couple of weeks, feel free to pester me. I'll either give a good reason, or get right back to writing. I hope you enjoy this next installment! :)

**Chapter Four: Shirley's Love**

_While the voices of the mask had me ensnared, the world seemed to be turning for the worse. Lord Byron fed me his own twisted version of things, and even through the miasma of confusion which the mask caused I was able to see bits and pieces of it. All mention of Ferines negotiations had stopped. Everywhere there were rumors of backstabbing among nobility and fierce agitation among the people. I had known this was the case in Gadoria, but now I was hearing that Rexalia could be on the brink of civil war with the capital as its epicenter, and Crusand was trying to merely keep afloat after the war. Even the distant country of Tyracia was suffering as a result._

_ I found myself drawn away from all rational thought and what little trust I had in the Creator or anyone else. For the second time in my life, I felt the urgent need to grow up. I couldn't waste any more time in the fantasy where Coolidge returned my feelings and my lingering thirst for revenge was satiated without bringing any pain to Elsa. Instead, I needed to take back my rightful place as the High Lady of the House of Valens. Then I would have the power and authority to not only accomplish my mission, but be taken seriously in the political sphere. I would be the "hero" who would save everyone._

_ Mask or no mask, looking at my own audacity both shames and sickens me._

...xXx...

Senel didn't know what to think of the First Legends. He had to admit, some parts were very beautiful poetically. Some parts were interesting stories. Some were what sounded like very dry history. A couple lines had even made him laugh. But then there were some very strange, cryptic passages. He could tell that they meant _something,_ and something very important to the overall interpretation, but any trace of what that meaning was eluded him. Granted, it probably wasn't the best idea to skip around, but reading was not his favorite pastime and the pages were thin and the print tiny so that he had been fooled into thinking that the whole volume was much shorter than it actually was.

He sighed and set the book down on his night stand. The first traces of daylight were already sneaking in through his window.

He groaned and threw an arm over his eyes. He could not go to that meeting. He wouldn't be able to think at all. He was exhausted, having had very little sleep the past month or so and now this night was gone. Add to that the battle last night, the messenger being killed, and of course...

He opened his eyes. He _had_ to go to the meeting. He had to convince them that somehow Chloe wasn't herself and that none of this could be her fault. If he didn't do it, no one would. It would be the Forest of No Return all over again.

He felt the sudden urge to punch something, but resisted it. Why were they all so quick to suspect her? Did none of them really know her? Did they really think she could turn killer so quickly?

A memory snuck up on him. _"Let me just stay like this... for a little while." _In a rare moment he had seen just how true a representation of her her dark self was at first. She was not a killer- that was the lie of the black mist. But there was a part of her that she had buried which was only a little girl. A sudden orphan with no siblings to encourage her, no real friends to help her, no one to lean on.

It was strange to think of that moment, when he had seen such a personal and hidden and true part of who she was, in light of who he saw two nights ago. He would have much rather suffered another blow from her sword than see that look on her face. It was as if there was some thick wall between the Chloe he knew and the one he saw. He would have thought it was not Chloe had he not caught that first look in her eyes- the gentleness that she thought no one else noticed. But then it was replaced with something entirely alien to him. The night she stabbed him he had seen the rage that she herself confessed she could not handle. He could relate to it. It was a furnace that he too had felt when he fought Vaclav. But the look she had had two nights ago was... different. Chloe was not herself that night. That's all there was to it.

It infuriated him that he couldn't be with her at that moment and help her. Had this happened four years ago he would have tried looking for her, even without having the slightest idea where she was. But experience had brought him a little bit of patience, and he kept reminding himself that at least she was no longer alone. Somehow Norma had gone with her, and that would have to be enough until he could find her. Right now, the best thing he could do for her was attend this meeting.

He went down to the kitchen and set a pot of coffee to brew.

...xXx...

Peace.

It was strange to feel such peace. She had slept pleasantly and deeply and felt more refreshed than she had since she had been forced to flee from Valens Manor.

Chloe blinked. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A memory hung at the edge of her mind, just beyond her grasp. _It was late at night... Something woke me up, and then I needed to flee Valens Manor, but why? Why can't I remember anything else?_

She stood and went to the tiny window between the two cots to see the sunlight barely starting to spill out over the rolling waves. She couldn't remember anything else from that night, though she knew it was vitally important. Just like she couldn't remember if the woman she had seen the night before had been real, or just a part of her peaceful dreams.

She felt the tension in her shoulders, and the frustration she felt at her own foggy memory, melt away as she recalled the presence of the woman. Her breath slowed, and she closed her eyes, her hands resting on the window frame. She felt safe. Secure. As she held the image of the woman in her mind, she was filled with peace and a knowledge that somehow, everything was going to sort itself out.

"I arise this morn, through the might of the heav'ns

And my soul proclaims the splendor of my Creator

I arise this morn, through the strength of the light of the sun

And my spirit rejoices in the Champion of my salvation

I arise this morn, through the beauty of the radiance of the moon

For the Creator has looked on me with favor in his eye

I arise this morn, through the goodness of all under the Light's domain

For the Creator has smiled upon his lowly servant."

The song died on her lips, overtaken by the gentle lull of the ship.

"That was a beautiful song. I didn't know you could sing, C."

Chloe looked away. The song had left her with a deep sense of longing. "I never do when I know someone's listening."

"Oh. Heh. Sorry. I guess that makes sense- what with the BB's and all."

Chloe busied herself with searching for the few gald that had fallen to the bottom of her pack. "I'm going to find out where I can get some breakfast. Do you want to come?"

"To breakfast! Charge!" Norma pumped her fist in the air.

They both left, locking the door behind them.

When they got to the mess hall, they found a vacant table against a wall. Chloe scanned the room behind Norma as one of the staff left after taking their order. Not many people were awake this early, apparently. She saw only the captain and who she assumed was his first mate at their own table, talking quietly, a very tired looking man and woman sipping coffee at another table, and a younger man sitting by himself. The latter wore the brown cassock and braided cloth belt of a Gadorian monk. At the moment, he was looking straight at her with an unreadable expression.

"Is something wrong, C?"

"Let's hope not."

The man who took their order returned with two cups of coffee and two plates of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast. He left with a mumble that Chloe assumed was a wish for them to enjoy the meal. She took a sip of coffee, studying the monk out of the corner of her eye. He looked to be only in his late twenties, had a short beard, brown hair, and piercing blue eyes. A plain, slightly twisted walking staff leaned against his table. Everything about him seemed normal, for a monk, except those eyes. They made Chloe feel like he knew who she really was.

"So why don't you catch me up to speed? What's the plan once we're off the ship?"

Chloe met Norma's eyes briefly before looking down into her mug. "I told you. As soon as we land we split up."

"Oh, come on, C! You know I'm not leaving that easily!"

Chloe shot her a glare. "Norma, you can't call me that so openly."

"Alright, alright, sorry... I really don't think anyone can hear us, though. If they're even paying attention to us at all."

Chloe lowered her voice. "Don't you get it, Norma? Any one of the people we encounter could be looking for me. Even if they aren't, I'm sure they would be more than happy to collect whatever bounty has been put out on my head."

"Yeah, okay, you're right..."

They continued eating in silence. Eventually, Norma put her fork down. "Look, the truth is... I wanna know what last night was all about."

Chloe thought again of the strange woman she had seen. "What do you mean?"

Norma looked at her. "You don't remember?"

Chloe shook her head. Norma had been asleep when the woman appeared, she was sure of it.

"Oh, come on, C- or _Jean_, or whatever!" Norma lowered her voice. "You don't remember looking for that mask like your life depended on it? Or tossing all our stuff around the room? None of that?"

"Oh. I..." Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, opened them, and stared at the dark liquid in her mug. Bits and pieces started coming back to her. A feeling of desperation, despair, and those insidious voices lingering at the edge of her mind. She started to feel cold and clammy. Her hand started to shake and she let go of the mug's handle.

"C- Jean, are you okay?"

Chloe took a deep breath. "I think so. I just..." They had kept telling her she needed the mask, but it wasn't there. The voices had left rather suddenly, but she didn't understand why. "What exactly happened last night? What do you remember?"

Norma shrugged and looked away. "You were acting kinda crazy, I cast crystal eres, and then you started to act more normal. Then we both went to sleep."

"There has to be more to it than that..." Chloe looked at her hands. Nothing was making sense. It felt like she had a handful of scattered puzzle pieces but no way of connecting them. Somehow, she knew that her strange behavior the night before, the appearance of the woman, and her foggy memory were all related. She took another sip of coffee and glanced around the room again. The captain and the first mate had left. The young couple were both reading now- the man a newspaper, the woman a book. The monk was no longer looking at them but seemed deep in thought, his eyes closed, a book of his own open in front of him. Norma was probably right that none of them could hear their conversation. "There has to be more to it than that," she repeated. "I need to remember what happened. My memory has been so faulty these past few months and I can't afford to keep going like this. Please, Norma. I need you to walk me through what happened last night- even if it sounds crazy."

Norma stabbed some potatoes with her fork, only to set the fork down again. She shrugged and leaned back in her chair"Alright, but I need something from you, too, C. I wanna trust you and all- and I _do_, otherwise I wouldn't be here out in the middle of the ocean with you- but it would be nice to understand all of this a little better. If I tell you everything, will you tell me what's been going on?"

Chloe looked at her hands again. "I'll tell you what I can, but..." She met Norma's eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. "Honestly, Norma, there's not much that I can remember."

Norma frowned, then smiled. "Well, we helped G-Girl with her own memory problems before, right? We'll just have to figure this out together. Now as for last night... Heh. It's kinda funny now that I think about it. I actually had a pretty darned strange dream about our green goddess before all of last night's weirdness..."

...xXx...

"Yo, Senel." Senel straightened from the wall he had been leaning against. Moses looked almost as upset as he felt. "You gotta have some plan or somethin'. I can't believe for a second that you're just gonna sit here with all this crap goin' on."

Senel shrugged. "What am I supposed to do, Moses? Just storm off after Chloe when I have no idea where she is? What message would that send to the Ferines?"

Moses grabbed him by the shoulders. "Aw, come on, Senel! You can't tell me your givin' up that easily!"

Senel tore himself away. "Hey, I'm just as angry as you are! None of this makes any sense. But when has running off with no idea what we're doing ever done us any good?"

Moses stared at him, turned away. "Heh. I guess we've all changed a bit, haven't we? You're not as hot-headed as you used to be. That's a good thing, I s'pose." He crossed his arms. "But what are we gonna do?"

"You're worried about Norma, aren't you?"

Moses shot him a sheepish grin. "How'd you figure?"

"Seriously? Everyone can tell."

"Hmph. You're one to talk."

"What does that mean?"

"Anyway. Don't get me wrong. I'm worried about Chloe too. We all are. Now, I can't just stand idly by and let things play out and I know you can't neither..." Moses faced him and held out his hand. "I'm goin' the first chance I get. You comin', too?"

Senel sighed. He refused to acknowledge the cold knot in the pit of his stomach. He took Moses' hand. "Yeah. I'm going, too."

"There you two are. Everyone's waiting inside."

"We'll be right there, Will."

Will raised an eyebrow, but vanished back around the corner without a word. Senel turned back to Moses. "First chance we get, but it has to be without making things any worse between us and the Ferines. I don't think anyone would want that, least of all Chloe."

"Fair enough. But I ain't stayin' here too long. Not without doin' somethin', anyway. All last night I was itchin' to get goin'."

"You know, for all you two are trying to act mature, you sure don't know how to think, do you?"

Moses wheeled around. "What's that s'posed to mean, Jay?"

Jay smirked. "All you two had to do was ask, and I would have told you what Quppo told me. Though, to be fair, he only told me this morning."

"What did he tell you, Jay?"

"He said he saw Norma leaving with someone on a ship at Port on Rage. The person she was with looked to be male, but with rather loose clothing, a tattered hat, and messy black hair. A large sword-shaped object was strapped to this person's back."

The knot in Senel's stomach gave way to hope. "That has to be Chloe! Jay, I owe you one."

"You sure do. Both of you do."

"Senel, we could leave tonight! Or sooner! We could leave right after the meetin'!"

"Just to make things clear, this information isn't free."

Senel sighed. "What do you want, Jay?"

There was a sudden intensity behind Jay's eyes. "I want you to promise to do everything you can to clear up this mess. And I want you to bring back any information you get from the Mainland. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that we're barely seeing the tip of a much larger iceberg."

Senel nodded. "You may be right."

Moses laughed. "Admit it, Jay. You're worried about the girls, too, ain't ya?"

Jay shot him a glare, a visible hue of pink on his cheeks. "So what if I am, stupid bandit?"

"You might as well quit the cold and distant act completely, y'know. We all know you're not really like that." Jay sputtered. Senel crossed his arms and continued before Jay could think of what to say. "Alright. Moses, I'll talk to Shirley after the meeting. As long as its not going to derail things with the Ferines, we'll leave as soon as we can. Jay, I take it you're staying here?"

He coughed and composed himself. "Of course. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll still be of some use away from all the action."

"You may not be going to the Mainland, but I'm not so sure you'll be away from all the action. Alright, we should head inside. The sooner this meeting starts, the sooner its over and I can talk to Shirley." He and Moses started to walk away.

"Just one more thing, you two. I have something I want you to take with you. It's not ready yet, but Poppo should be bringing it soon."

"Alright."

The three of them made their way into the hut. Senel nearly crashed into Shirley on the way in. He thought he saw a pained look on her face. He gave her a questioning look, which she simply returned with a small smile.

"Ah, I'm glad we're all here, now. Why don't we get started?" Maurits motioned to the stone table, taking a seat. "I think it would be best to go over yesterday's events in detail. Seph? You were here when things first started. Why don't you walk us through what happened?"

"Of course, sir." Seph opened a large tome that was resting on the table. Next to it was the Skull Mask. "I was out in the back of the village studying the patterns of the wind as I had been for the past several weeks. I had been doing so in an effort to develop a systematic way of predicting the course of the Legacy. As you know, none of us have even attempted to control it since you defeated Vaclav, and yet, it continues to drift seemingly of its own-"

"Ahem."

"Er. Sorry. Anyway, I was outside when I heard this strange, high-pitched noise. It was faint at first, almost unnoticeable. But it grew in strength until I could no longer ignore it. But by that time, I already saw them coming."

"What do you mean by 'them'?" Will asked.

"It was Chloe. She was being chased by those strange black skeletons that we all saw during the fighting. She seemed to recognize me, though we only met once or twice before she left for the Mainland. She said something about help, but the creatures were already upon us. It was instant chaos. I admit I was suspicious. Two of the villagers joined me while the other tried to fight the monsters. One of the villagers yelled that she had brought the monsters to the hermitage. He saw an opportunity in the chaos and was able to take this mask from her and lock her into one of the huts. I caught a glimpse of the messenger lying on the ground in a pool of blood, and that's when I knew that I needed to come bring all of you."

"And at that point is when you met us at Lumen Spring. We started fighting the monsters, Chloe escaped, and the monsters left as soon as she did," Will summed up.

"With Bubbles," Moses said.

Seph nodded. "I did some research on the mask Chloe had with her. There's no way that it could be the cause of her, and Norma's, sudden vanishing. However, as I mentioned to Senel yesterday, it could explain some of her strange behavior. The mask is said to 'hide who one truly is' and to imbue one with great strength. Of course, with that strength is great danger. The good news is that this does not appear to be the worst of its kind." He spun the tome on the table so that the images on its pages were facing all of them. "You'll notice that in this diagram there is a small marking on the inside of the mask, on the forehead."

"It looks similar to a Relares character, but one that I've never seen," Maurits frowned.

"That's because it isn't Relares. I'm not sure where the symbol comes from originally or what it means, but I do know that it appears here." Seph flipped a page. "On another item called Aifread's flag."

"Why is any of this good news?" Senel asked.

Seph flipped back to the page with the picture of the Skull Mask. Gingerly, he lifted the actual Skull Mask with a cloth, careful not to let his skin actually come in contact with it. "Because you'll notice that this mask does not have that symbol. According to this article, there is only one Aifread's flag in existence. A Skull Mask made with that flag is actually called a Skeleton Mask. A small difference in name, but it marks a huge difference in what the mask is capable of. Both masks affect the wearer in very similar ways. But the one infused with Aifread's flag is said to be linked directly a very dark power. According to the texts, it is an ancient and sinister power that helped the pirate Aifread to live as long as he did and gave him the means to win many battles, escape every captor and wreak all the havoc he is now known for. And I'm sure you've heard the stories of what he did."

"It's said that Aifread is responsible for many ancient towns and villages on the Mainland being destroyed. To this day his name invokes terror."

"That's exactly right, Will. Fortunately, this Skull Mask was not made with Aifread's flag."

"Wait. You must be mistaken."

"What do you mean, Senel?"

"I was there when Chloe had that mask customized. And she did have it made with Aifread's flag."

Seph frowned. "I'm sorry, Senel, but if that were true, the marking would be visible on the inside of the mask. Is it possible it was some other flag?"

Senel shook his head. "No. I'm positive. I remember seeing that very symbol on it."

Seph frowned and busied himself with examining the tome. "That is a mystery, then... But again, I will say, that this mask does not have the symbol. Since this is the one we found on Chloe, I think it is reasonable to assume that this is the only one she had been using. Of course, all of this is only a small part of the problem." Seph closed the book. "The other villages are outraged. And more and more of our people are being drawn to an elitist group calling themselves the Telfennes." Seph nodded toward Shirley.

"The Telfennes claim that they are the only true Ferines, in that they are the only ones loyal to the will of Nerifes. They are opposed to all negotiations, and because they are growing in power many villages refuse to cooperate any further. It's too early to tell for sure, but I suspect that when they learn of the messenger being killed, negotiations will come to a complete standstill."

Will frowned. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

Maurits stood. "The problem is that while we Ferines are a rather close knit people, we still have our own internal politics to sort through. This messenger was not merely a messenger, but the son of a village chief. It would be similar to an Orerines prince being killed on Ferines soil. Even though this clearly was not the intent of any one of you, it still raises suspicion for everyone who was not here to witness it. Even some of our own here on the Legacy are suspicious now."

Senel clenched his fists. "So that's it? Are we just supposed to give up?"

"Senel, none of us are saying that," Shirley said. "But it does mean that things are going to be slow for a while."

"And, if I may add," Seph interjected, "for good reason. I desire peace among our people just as much as all of you, but one of our own is now dead. While lasting peace is a worthy goal to strive toward, we cannot ignore the loss of life that has taken place. Tremendous progress has been made these past four years. We should count it a blessing that things have gone so smoothly thus far, and, if I may be so bold as to say, we should give the other villages time to mourn as we do our best to honor the life that was lost and comfort his family."

"That being said, we still desire that the Legacy remain neutral ground," Maurits said. "With us, yourselves, and Madame Musette still here, that remains the case. I personally am still very much willing to fight to keep that a reality, even against the politics of my own people. I'm certain Shirley feels the same way."

Shirley dipped her head. "Yes."

"So then, what does all of this mean for us?" Senel asked.

"Simply put, it means that negotiations are on hold for now. Give our people some time, and I'm sure everything will work out for the best," Maurits replied.

The meeting ended soon after that, and Senel found himself eager to talk with Shirley. He waited for everyone else to leave, then asked her to meet him outside in the back of the hermitage.

"What is it, Senel?"

"Shirley, how are things really going?"  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"I mean, how were the negotiations before what happened yesterday? You told me that things had slowed down even before any of this happened."  
>Shirley looked down. "Things have been difficult for a while, now, Senel."<p>

"How so?"

Shirley was quiet for a while. Finally, she sighed and went to stand near a tree, looking out toward the Legacy's Bridge. "Ever since the war four years ago, everyone has desired peace. But peace has been a hard thing to work toward after all the destruction that took place. It's been the same story over and over again. Many countries have internal problems right now. They can't form coherent alliances among themselves, let alone with the Ferines." Shirley turned to face him. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "I don't know what to do, Senel."

"Shirley..."

"There's an uprising in the Holy Rexalian Empire and no one knows why. I know what Vaclav did, but now _all_ of Crusand is crumbling because of their losses from the war. Tyracia, Su'tan, Loyaé... And of course... everything in Gadoria... I don't know if peace is possible any more."

Senel tried to hug her but she backed away. "Shirley?"

She blinked back the tears and smiled. "It's okay. I know why you really wanted to talk, Senel."

Senel felt a sharp pang in his chest. "You do?"

Shirley nodded. "I overheard you and Moses talking earlier."

"Oh..."

"Senel, it's alright. Chloe and I kind of made an agreement before, anyway."

"An agreement?"

Shirley nodded. "Right after you came back with her from the Forest of No Return. Don't worry about me any more, Senel. You don't have to feel obliged to protect me." She looked away, up at a cloud. "Besides, I have other people who can help me, now." Senel thought she spoke a little too quickly.

"Shirley, I'm not sure what you mean. What are you talking about?"

Shirley turned to face him. She held his gaze for a moment before reaching in her pocket and taking his hand in her own. "Senel, Nerifes' blessing isn't binding. None of it was ever binding." The pitch of her voice rose. "I know we both weren't completely honest with ourselves before. I'm sorry, Senel. I was being so selfish. I've always been selfish. I just hide it too well."

"Shirley..."

Shirley closed his fingers around the object she had placed in his hand. He felt two hot tears splash against his closed fist. Shirley took a step back and hastily scrubbed at her eyes. "I'm sorry. Please, don't feel bad. I really do want you to be happy, Senel."

Senel opened his hand. It was the shell Pippo had given Shirley when they had escaped through the Secret Passage. He stared at it, confused. Why would Shirley be giving this to him? And why was she so upset? There had to be something else going on that he didn't understand. He stepped forward and hugged her. She didn't back away this time.

"I'm so sorry, Senel. I've been so, so selfish," she said again. "I always saw it, I always knew, but I still fought for my own stupid, immature desires and I-"

"Hey, Shirley, calm down."

"-just hope this can make up for it. Not just for you, but for Chloe, too."

All attempts to calm Shirley down died on his lips. It felt like his brain had gone numb. For a moment he forgot to breath. "Huh?"

"I always saw so clearly how similar she was to Stella. Not exactly, but of course she wouldn't be exactly like Stella- no one would be. But every time she said or did something that reminded me of Stella, all I could do was be jealous. I couldn't even bring myself to try to talk to her most of the time and when I did, I knew the envy was right there inside of me and I had to keep it hidden. I'm sure she knew it was there, or at least knew _something_ was there, but she never said anything. She never accused me or anything." Shirley looked at him, fire in her eyes. "Senel, please. I know C would never do any of the horrible things she's been accused of. Please find her!"

All Senel could do was swallow his confusion and racing thoughts and nod. "Okay."

Shirley looked at the ground and chuckled softly. "I knew this would be surprising to you." She looked again at Senel. "Senel, I'll always love you. You're my brother." She stood on her toes and lightly kissed his cheek.

Senel let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He looked again at the shell in his hand, the pieces coming together faster than his emotions could register. He looked at Shirley again, suddenly feeling very light. He hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Shirley. I'll always love you too."

"You should get going. The next ship leaves Port on Rage in a couple of hours, and I'm sure you need to get supplies."

Senel backed away and nodded. He smiled. "Moses and I will figure this out. We'll find Chloe and Norma and sort out this whole mess. I promise."

Shirley returned the smile. "I know you will."

Senel walked away feeling more energized than he had in weeks. He found Moses waiting for him by the duct. Within an hour they were walking toward Port on Rage. Will and Jay were both waiting for them.

"I should have known you two would take off without seeing me if I didn't stand right here waiting for you."

"Sorry, Jay. We're just eager to get going."

An annoyed look flashed across Jay's face. Will raised an eyebrow, an odd smirk on his face.

"This is Poppo's latest invention. It's actually quite remarkable, and I'm certain it will prove invaluable from here on out."

Moses crossed his arms. "What is it?"

"Why don't you find out? Here."

Moses took the strange rectangular object, eying it suspiciously. Jay took another similar object out of his pocket and pressed a button. There was a flash on the device Moses held. An image of Jay appeared on a small screen.

"There. Do you hear my voice coming from the speaker?"

Moses nearly dropped it. "What the?!"

Jay laughed. "What's the matter? Has the stupid bandit never seen a screen like this?"

"'Course I have! Just not so small."

Jay pressed another button and both screens went dark. "You'll be able to initiate a live feed from you're device as well, just press the blue button. Be careful with it, though. Poppo has been working on that for two years now."

Moses handed the device to Senel. Senel put it in his pack. "We'll take care of it."

"You two should keep us updated on whatever happens over there," Will said. "It's been a long time since I've been on the Mainland, but it can be a dangerous place. In some ways, more dangerous than the Legacy. Above all, be careful who you trust. I don't need to remind you what the situation is like in Gadoria, even apart from the rumors surrounding Chloe. It's likely many of them will see you two with suspicion anyway, because you're so close to her."

"Let's hope no one recognizes us then."

Jay sighed. "What would you do without someone to think for you? I knew it was a good idea to bring these." He picked up a bag that had been resting at his feet. "You two should put these on. At the very least, Senel would be easily recognized by his Alliance Marine uniform. Many people would probably recognize you too, Moses."

Senel opened the bag to see two sets of much more normal clothing inside. "Thanks, Jay."

Will cleared his throat. "You two should get going. The ship is about to leave."

"Right."

"We'll see y'all later, y'hear?"

With that, Senel and Moses both found a place where they could don their disguises, then boarded the ship. The entire time, only one thought kept playing through Senel's mind.

_I'm in love with Chloe Valens._

...xXx...

Jay made his way back to the hermitage as quickly and as quietly as he could. He knelt below one of the windows of the building where the meeting had taken place earlier, listening.

"...eventually figure this out, don't let it trouble you too much, Merines."

"You're right. Thank you, Seph."

"Of course. Please, let me know whenever I can do anything to help lighten your burden."

"I will." Jay heard rustling. A door opened, then silence.

"Shirley?"

"Yes?"

"Is there something else troubling you? Something unrelated to the negotiations, perhaps?"

"You're very good at reading people, Seph... but it's nothing to worry about, really. I'll be fine after a little while."

"...Alright. But please, Merines, let me know if there's anything I can do."

"I will. Have a good night, Seph."

The door closed. Jay waited for Seph's footsteps to fade away before he went around to the front of the building and slipped softly through the door. Shirley didn't notice him immediately. Rarely did anyone notice when he entered a room.

"Shirley."

Shirley looked up sharply. Her expression softened when she saw it was him. "Jay, what brings you here so late?"

Jay shrugged. "I was concerned after the conversation you had earlier with Senel."

"You heard all of that?"

"I heard enough. Shirley, are you sure you can let things go so easily?"

Shirley busied herself with some papers on the table. "I wouldn't say that it's easy."

"Then why did you tell Senel what you told him?"

Shirley looked Jay in the eye. He saw pain behind her eyes, but she also wore a smile that didn't look forced. "Real love is never easy. Besides, what I feel toward Senel is... not what I wanted it to be before."

"I don't understand."

"Oohh... I'm not good at saying what I mean when it comes to things like this. Um..." Shirley set the papers down. "I guess you could say that what I feel toward Senel is not the type of love I thought it was. It never was."

"But how can you be sure of that? How do you know that five years from now you won't realize that your feelings were exactly what you thought they were all along?"

Shirley shook her head. "I don't think that would happen. But even if it did, I want Senel to be happy. And I know he would be happier with Chloe filling that place in his life."

"Then why do you look like you're about to break down and cry?"

Shirley let out a sigh of frustration. "Like I said, it's not easy. But if I truly do love Senel, wouldn't I want what's best for him, regardless of what that means for me?"

Jay tilted his head. "Hm..."

"So why did you come here, Jay?"

Jay spread his hands. "I wanted to see how you were doing. I don't like it when my friends are upset."

Shirley smiled. "See? Then you do understand."

"I do?"

Shirley started walking toward the door. "A lot more than you might realize, yes."

...xXx...

After Norma told her everything that had happened, Chloe found herself feeling very small, and very scared. She shoved the feeling away and told Norma the bits and pieces she could remember. Scattered bits of being caught up in Gadorian politics, using the Skull Mask, the voices she heard, the sense of needing to flee Valens Manor, being on the run, and having those horrible monsters appear whenever her voices started arguing. She also told her about the woman who had appeared to her, though she had hesitated at first. In the end, in spite of her fear, she was glad. Merely talking through the parts she could remember helped her feel like she had a better grip on reality.

After breakfast, they went up to the dock for some fresh air. It wasn't long before Chloe started to feel that all-too-familiar feeling in her stomach that told her large bodies of water were her mortal enemy. She gave a word of explanation to Norma and went back below deck. As soon as she descended the stairs, the sea-sickness started to go away. She rounded a corner, heading to their cabin, and nearly collided with a body.

"Oh, excuse-" She cut herself short when she saw that it was the monk she had seen earlier. It felt like his gaze pierced right through her. He smiled, but his smile didn't so anything to lessen her suspicion.

"The fault is all mine, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking."

"It's no trouble." Chloe moved to walk past him. He shifted just enough to block her.

"I saw you at breakfast earlier. Please, let me introduce myself. My name is Ferdinand."

"Jean."

Ferdinand managed to still be smiling, while looking at her intently. "Jean. A pleasure to meet you. Forgive me, I know this is forward of me, and you do not have to say anything if you do not wish to, but I get the strong sense that your soul is deeply troubled. I do not wish to pressure you, but I'm a monk, as I'm sure you know. If you would, I would like to invite you to release some of your burden."

Chloe felt small again, the fear returning. A knot started forming in her throat. She forced herself to talk past it. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

Ferdinand's smile melted away. Concern mingled with the intensity in his eyes. "I'm certain you do. I do not know who you really are, but I can tell that you don't want anyone to know who you really are. The trouble is that if we don't let anyone share our burdens, we start to forget ourselves who we truly are. I thank the Creator that you are traveling with a friend, but as a monk of the Order of Mt. Zeriques, I would like to offer you the consolation of the Creator's Champion Himself."

Chloe let out a laugh in spite of herself. "I'm well aware of what that means, but-"

Ferdinand placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. "Think on it. Please. I know that if you share your burden with me under the assurance of Reunion you will be restored to peace of mind and soul. As a vowed monk, I would be bound never to reveal what you tell me to anyone, even if my life depended on it."

She was frozen. Everything in her rational mind told her to simply walk away. But for some reason she found herself glued to the floor, unable to move. As the seconds ticked by she felt smaller, more exposed, more fearful. Then, the memory of the woman the night before came to the front of her mind with enough force that it caused her to take a step back.

_Do not be afraid, my daughter. Only trust._

She swallowed hard. "Alright. I will share my burden with you."


End file.
